14
I O
T R I U M P H E A L B I O N O T E S
Maureen Donohue Krauss, ’84, has been elected president of the Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA), which represents more than 350 local and statewide officials involved in economic development in Michigan. She works as the senior business development representative for Oakland County Economic Development, specializing in European business attraction and expansion. She and her husband, Dean, live in Rochester Hills. They have two children. Cynthia Fabrizio Pelak, ’84, received her Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 2002. She is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Memphis (TN). Her research interests include feminist theory, race/class/gender inequality, social movements, sociology of sport and social change in Africa. She lives in Memphis. David Stringer, ’84, has opened a law practice in Chicago, focusing on probate matters and real estate transactions. David and his partner, Kevin, live in Chicago.
85 Deanna Behring, ’85, was the 2003 recipient of the W. LaMarr Kopp Staff International Achievement Award, which honors Pennsylvania State University staff members who have made vital contributions to the university’s international mission. Deanna is the director of international programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. She lives in State College, PA. Sandy Mason Ciupak, ’85, works parttime as a proofreader at the O’Briens Agency in Lansing, an advertising firm that produces the monthly GM Edge magazine. She also serves on the DeWitt Library Board. She, her husband, Scott, and their two daughters live in DeWitt. Sandy can be reached by e-mail at: sciupak@hotmail.com. Mary Brown Lenardson, ’85, received the Water Environment Federation Laboratory Analyst Excellence Award from the Michigan Water Environment Association. She received the award for her outstanding performance, professionalism and contributions to the water quality analysis profession. She has worked at the City of Jackson Wastewater Treatment Plant since 1990. She is their chemist/laboratory supervisor and consulting chemist to the City of Jackson Fire Department. She lives in Albion. Tim Sanford, ’85, has joined Standard Federal Wealth Management as first vice president and private banking senior lender. He previously worked for Bank One for 17 years. He lives in Grand Blanc.
Suzanne Counterman Wright, ’85, was named outstanding middle school parent volunteer for Williamson County (TN). She received the honor in recognition of her accomplishments as PTO treasurer for her son’s middle school. She was selected as the “Shining Apple” out of 15 other nominees. She lives in Franklin, TN.
86 Jean Edminster Brown, ’86, has joined the corporate communications division of Flint Ink at its world headquarters in Ann Arbor. She and her husband, Michael, have moved to the Ann Arbor area. She can be reached by e-mail at: spinndoctr@aol.com. Todd Smiedendorf, ’86, was ordained in Christian ministry in December 2001 at the Washington Park United Church of Christ in Denver. He now serves as the associate minister at the United Church of Christ in Forest Grove, OR. Todd and his wife, Kim Monteleone, were married in 2002 in Boulder, CO. He can be reached by e-mail at: jtsmied@fgucc.org.
87 Michael Grant, ’87, was recently named a principal at Costello & Sons Insurance Brokers. In addition to his sales activities, he also oversees the Commercial Lines Department for the agency. He and his wife, Sandra, moved to the hills of Tustin, CA. They have three children.
88 Jim Phelps, ’88, has been named vice president and business development officer in the business banking department for the Michigan district of KeyBank. Previously, he worked for Michigan National Bank in Ann Arbor. He lives in Saline. Ahmed Rubaie, ’88, was promoted to corporate vice president by the board of Avery Dennison last year. He joined Avery (a Fortune 300 company) as vice president of taxes in 2001 after serving as vice president commercial for BHP in Australia, Chile and San Francisco. He serves on the board of Junior Achievement Southern California and is a member of the finance committee of United Way of Los Angeles. Ahmed and his wife, Zainab Ali, live in San Marino, CA. They have two daughters and can be reached by e-mail at: rubaiefam@aol.com.
Jen Febbo Kolean, ’96, recently hosted a gathering for several Albion graduates. Pictured are: (from left) Anne Sturm, ’96, Mason Kolean (Jen’s son), Jessica Beyer Wood, ’96, Tami McCumons Moe, ’96, Jen Febbo Kolean, ’96, Katy Neuman, ’96, and Sarah Chapman Preisser, ’96.
89 Pat Briggs, ’89, is the assistant superintendent for operations and personnel for Cadillac Area Public Schools. He has a master’s degree in educational leadership from Saginaw Valley State University and holds a Michigan CPA license. His wife, Kim Fink Briggs, ’90, is a teacher in the business department at Cadillac High School. She is working on her master’s degree in educational leadership from Grand Valley State. They live in Cadillac with their three children. Constance Colthorp, ’89, works as a project manager at Enlighten, an interactive design firm in Ann Arbor. She also teaches at Washtenaw Community College. She earned her M.S. in information from the University of Michigan. She lives in Ann Arbor and can be reached at: const@umich.edu. John Dunlop, ’89, earned national board certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in early and middle childhood physical education. He is the first teacher in Michigan to earn this honor. He traveled to Tokyo, Japan, as a consultant to train teachers from the Department of Defense Dependent Schools on using technology in physical education. John and his wife, Heather, live in Portage. They have two children. Gregory Dunn, ’89, was recently reelected to the board of Delta Dental Insurance of Hawaii and was elected to the corporation’s executive committee as the assistant treasurer. He was also appointed as trustee of the Hawaii Dental Service Foundation and elected as chairman. Greg lives in Honolulu, HI. Patrick Maher, ’89, is living in Bangkok, Thailand, where he operates the Maher Gecko Farm. It is a tourist attraction that features more than three miles of nature trails, a guest house and a café.
These Albion alumnae celebrated their graduation last spring with a trip to Europe. Marybeth Schafer, ’03, Crystal Ingison, ’03, and Amanda Kent, ’03, are pictured in front of the Colosseum in Rome.
Lynne March, ’89, has recently purchased a dental practice in the Kensington community of San Diego, CA.
90 Jennifer Hill Buehrer, ’90, is a social worker with Gynecologic Oncology Specialists of Michigan in Lansing. She provides support and counseling for women with gynecological cancers and their families. In her free time, she performs with her husband and four friends in a folk/rock band called MannaFest, which performs for nonprofit benefits and fund-raisers in Michigan and Ohio. She lives in Ypsilanti. She can be reached at: jenniferbuehrer@hotmail.com. Julie Karmazin, ’90, is a turnaround management consultant with Kenneth J. Dalto & Associates. She also sits on the board of the Junior Executives for the Detroit Economic Club. She lives in Huntington Woods. John Punches, ’90, earned his M.B.A. from Northwood University. He is the general manager of Punches Management Group, where he has worked for eight years. He is currently serving his fifth term as mayor of the City of Clare. John also serves as a board member for several local organizations. He and his wife live in Clare with their two sons. Terence Thomas Sr., ’90, was named senior vice president for external affairs for St. John Health. He previously was a partner in the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone and served as general counsel to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s election and transition team. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, Terence lives in Detroit.
91 Erik Haik, ’91, is serving as the athletic director and assistant principal at Hopkins High School, where he has worked for 11 years. Weatherly Burkhead Verhelst, ’91, is serving as a pastor at State Street United Methodist Church in Saginaw. She and her family live in Saginaw. She can be reached at: revwow@shianet.org.
92 Noelle Giguere Badertscher, ’92, has taken the position of development manager for the Frick Art and Historical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. She and her husband, John, live in Pittsburgh and can be reached at: ngiguere99@yahoo.com. Shannon Hare, ’92, works for VF Imagewear, owner of Lee, Gitano, Wrangler, The North Face, Nautica and Vanity Fair, among others. She represents six lines of clothing, but is on a special project writing and developing a training program for new sales representatives. She lives in Nashville, TN, and can be reached at Shannon_Hare@vfc.com. Dan Vukmirovich, ’92, accepted the position of associate pastor of music and drama at Granger Community Church, near South Bend, IN. He and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters. He can be reached at: dvukmiro@hotmail.com. Amy O’Dell Wilson, ’92, is now a seventh-grade teacher at a private school in Hancock, NH. She previously served as an adventure program coordinator for the Sargent Center. She and her husband, Mark, have a son. She can be reached at: malw993@earthlink.net.